Science Talk

In this episode, Phil Ross talks about what scientists have learned is necessary to achieve expertise in virtually any field. Ross's article on the subject, The Expert Mind, is in the August issue of Scientific American. And Sheldon Schafer, who sports the title of Curator of the Solar System (a huge model of the solar system centered in Peoria, Illinois) discusses the Interplanetary Bicycle Ride, coming up on August 12 and 13. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include Spectrum.IEEE.org; www.lakeview-museum.org; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, geologist Kip Hodges discusses how climate and mountain evolution influence each other in the Himalayas, the subject of his article in the August issue of Scientific American. And former astronaut Dr. James Bagian, currently the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Patient Safety, talks about patient safety. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include the Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration, www.sese.asu.edu; the National Center for Patient Safety, www.patientsafety.gov; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, former astronaut Dr. James Bagian, currently the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Patient Safety, talks about being in space and safety issues related to the shuttle. And Max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University and author of the July Scientific American article "CSI: Reality," talks about court challenges to fingerprint evidence. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include www.patientsafety.gov and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University and author of the July Scientific American article "CSI: Reality," talks about the effect the CSI shows have had in the real world and about real crime scene investigation versus what's portrayed on TV. And John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, talks about the recent Coke/Pepsi espionage case and the realities of secret soda formulas in the age of high-tech chemistry labs. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include www.beverage-digest.com; www.publicknowledge.org/node/497; www.tinyurl.com/LGL6P; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we go to the research and development facility of Ben and Jerry's in Vermont, to talk about the science of ice cream. We'll talk to Derek Spors, ice cream scientician (a.k.a. "senior product developer-food technology") and Eric Fredette, group leader of flavor development. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include http://www.benjerry.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com; and http://technology.physorg.com/news70817487.html. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, science writer Karen de Seve shares her adventures in the Bering Sea; journalist Dr. John Miller talks about a radiation health conference; and taxonomist and paleontologist Scott Thomson discusses the late Harriet the tortoise. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the Liberty Science Center, www.lsc.org; Karen de Seve's blog, http://beringsea.blogspot.com; the American Statistical Association, www.amstat.org; Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the special guest is renowned biologist and author Edward O. Wilson. First we'll hear clips from a talk he gave last week at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, in conjunction with the publication of his new book, Nature Revealed: Selected Writings 1949-2006. Then Scientific American podcast host Steve Mirsky talks to Wilson about a few specifics in biology and conservation. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, freelance reporter Beth Baldwin talks about some of the goings-on at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, entitled "Genomes, Evolution, and Bioinformatics." And Kate Wong, Scientific American's paleontology and anthropology expert, talks about recent findings in human evolution as well as a new, unusual dinosaur discovery. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, http://www.smbe.org; the conference page, http://www.smbe.org/geb; the Paleoanthropology Society, http://www.paleoanthro.org; the Scientific American blog, blog.sciam.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Liz Johnson and Felicity Arengo from the American Museum of Natural History take Scientific American podcast host Steve Mirsky for a walk in the park--Central Park--to talk about the spring bird migration and the role that Central Park and other green spaces plays in the lives of birds and other animals. Author Marie Winn also talks about the park and the wildlife it supports. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org; the Central Park Conservancy, www.centralparknyc.org; the New York City Audubon Society, www.nycaudubon.org; the Linnean Society, www.linnean.org; Marie Winn, www.mariewinn.com; the Scientific American blog, blog.sciam.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the guest is Eric Kandel, recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Kandel discusses his research, his personal background and their intersection. He talks about what kinds of scientific investigation he finds most interesting and worthwhile and where he would concentrate if he were beginning his research career today. These and other subjects are also themes of his new book, In Search of Memory, and his article in the current issue (April/May) of Scientific American Mind, called The New Science of Mind. After the interview, we'll also test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices